Post by D9M Pisces Gem [Kaplan] on Oct 13, 2017 18:18:23 GMT -5

Violet had lived in the woods for the entirety of her life. Never had she ventured into the Districts, nor the Capitol, and she had no idea what they even looked like on the other side of the fence. Although, that didn’t matter to her. She’d always loved residing in the forest. Her mother would even let her go off on her own sometimes, like today, when she said she was free to go out and wander.

Always good at knowing which things in the woods were edible and which were not, Violet had decided that she was going to gather some berries for a midday snack. She’d been wandering about for a while, just seeing what was going on, and came across a bush that was teeming with gorgeous, delicious-looking raspberries, just waiting to be picked. A grin crossed Violet’s face. It was little things like this that made her really happy. She hoped that when her younger sibling was finally born, exiting the body of her pregnant mother, that they would want to be like Violet.

The girl had always wanted another child to play with, and despite the fact that she and her sibling would end up with an eight year age difference, she didn’t mind. Anyone that was willing to play with her, younger or older, would make her happy. She was humming a cheerful tune to herself as she placed perfectly ripe raspberries into the pouch she was carrying with her. Then, however, she heard someone nearby. Violet had always been taught to be cautious, just in case there were Peacekeepers about. This time, however, she was a little slow. This time, it wasn't even a human, either.

Shooting out of the bushes faster than Violet could think was a snake. Normally, the only creatures that really scared her were spiders, and on occasion, even other humans, as they could be threatening, too. Violet shrieked, however, startled, and ran away from the bushes, the small cloth pouch full of raspberries still clenched tightly in her grasp while she moved as quickly as she could. The snake wasn't too fast, but it was still rather quick. Immediately, Violet rushed to a tree, climbing up rapidly.

"Oh, help. Please help. Please," she said loud enough for someone to hear but not try to aggravate the snake any further. She needed help, and wasn't sure of what she could possibly do. Now, Violet just had to hope that someone brave enough to assist her would come along.

Post by phresh on Oct 21, 2017 0:28:33 GMT -5

P I P E RPiper’s stomach growled from inside her sweatshirt as she tromped through the forest, pulling at her insides like a vacuum. It’d been over a day since she’d eaten more than bland pine nuts, tediously plucked from fallen cones. How annoying, she thought, that she had to keep up with the exhausting task of trying to feed herself on hunting and gathering. Just the act of hunting or gathering always made her even more hungry, so she had to keep doing it. Still, she took pride in knowing that she could do something most Districters had never learned.

Man, I’d kick ass in the Games, she thought, hand resting on the butt of the hatchet she kept at her hip. She’d never thought of herself as a fighter, but she was definitely a defender; the count of times she’d been close to dying or being caught would take up more than two hands. She knew how to hunt and she knew how to hide, how to be resourceful and how to conserve. There wasn’t much she could do with a bow, but she could throw her hatchet with decent accuracy. Sometimes she pictured herself in the Games she’d watched as a child, aiming right at Mace Emberstatt’s head, just feet away from winning the whole thing and feeding her family comfortably for the rest of their lives.

She had to admit that’s probably not what would have happened, though. The problem with throwing an axe is if she missed, it wouldn’t boomerang back to her; it would probably get stuck in a tree or something, and she’d be without a weapon, an easy target. Anyways, she was too old now to be Reaped even if she hadn’t deserted Twelve. It was best to leave these things up to speculation.

Piper couldn’t help but wonder if it had happened to any of her siblings. They could all have been in the Games and won, for all she knew. It was easier, less draining, to imagine them all in the best possible situation; every single one of them was a victor (except her youngest sister, who was 11) and hers was the richest family in Twelve with their combined incomes. She imagined they rotated which house in the Victor’s Village they lived in at any given time. It was better to imagine them like this rather than the alternative, and what else was there to do in the forest but daydream and trap squirrels?

Then she heard a cry for help; apparently she’d jinxed herself. It split through the silence and sounded so much like her little sister’s voice that it bristled the hairs on the back of her neck. Somewhere, there was a girl that needed help. Pulling the hatchet from her belt, Piper sprinted towards the sound, careful to avoid the trapping roots below her and the low branches overhead.

The girl came into view, long brown hair and not very old, cheeks still chubby and rosy. In her eyes Piper saw the innocence she herself had lost at a young age, and she decided the girl must not be a lone traveler--if she was on her own like Piper had been, she’d probably know to carry a weapon and how to use it. She’d have been able to kill the snake in front of her without yelling for help. So where were this girl’s parents? The thought of such carelessness irked Piper to no end, but there was a more important task at hand, and all of these thoughts blurred together into one instant, a quick and decisive decapitation of the snake with her hatchet before it could get too close to the girl.

“Get back!” she ordered as she swung. For a while the snake writhed in its phantom pain as Piper watched in disgust, spitting a gob of phlegm onto its body for good measure. “Sneaky bastard,” she muttered. It must have been hiding in the berry bushes; they were so full of fruit that she could spot them from this far away. The sight of so much food--food that actually had flavor--made Piper’s mouth water, her stomach growling even louder. It was tempting, but she knew to be wary around those bushes if she were to pick anything. This girl should have known, too.

Wiping the dark red blood off her blade with the heel of her hand, Piper focused on the root of this problem--a question was boiling inside her, and her words came out like stingers, more harsh than she meant them to be. It was hard to practice speaking when there was no one around to talk to. “Where are your parents? Don’t you know not to pick berries all alone with nothing to defend yourself? You’re almost guaranteed to find a snake in there.” Sheathing her axe, Piper placed a hand on her hip and waited for an explanation.

Post by D9M Pisces Gem [Kaplan] on Oct 23, 2017 9:55:29 GMT -5

VIOLET NEON

Run run run awayMeet me in our hiding placeFind me where we'll make our escape

Within moments of her shouts, Violet's savior arrived. A girl with a hatchet had attacked the snake, preventing it from moving any closer to her, and it didn't seem like said snake would be moving again any time soon. The frightening, slithering creature's life had come to an end, and Violet, for once, was happy to see something die. Normally the girl liked to remain innocent, but this time, it was good that something had died, as it saved her from potentially dying.

Although Violet didn't know the name that matched the face of the older girl who'd saved her, she was still quite grateful. The female hero, however, didn't seem all too enthused about the situation. After all, she did just go out of her way to help someone she didn't even know, when she didn't have to. This girl was certainly caring enough to save Violet, even if she seemed a tad irritated.

When the savior spoke to the little girl who was no more than eight years of age, she seemed frustrated that Violet had been alone. She asked where her parents were, and why she didn't have anything to defend herself when she was off on her own. This made Violet's heart skip a beat. She hated being accused of being irresponsible, but she didn't want to argue with the person who had just helped her out. After all, that didn't really seem like the smart thing to do. Therefore, Violet tried to be as calm as possible and climb out of the tree she'd scaled to escape the scary snake predator.

"My parents are back at our camp," Violet explained. "They said I could go out all by myself..." The girl wasn't entirely sure what else to say, especially when asked why she didn't have anything with her to defend herself. Sure, she had a spear that she would often bring with her, but for some reason, she hadn't thought to tote it along to gather berries. Now she felt stupid.

"I should have brought my spear, but I didn't think about it. I'm not very good with it yet, either. Maybe you could show me how to use a weapon sometime, since you are so good at it... Thank you for saving me." Violet's voice was a bit shaky when she spoke, but she was grateful. Regardless, the bit of fear that still lingered inside of her made her nervous when she spoke.

Post by phresh on Oct 30, 2017 23:21:58 GMT -5

P I P E RThe girl’s voice was soft, not yet hardened by the world. Give it time, Piper thought, and it’ll be as gravelly as mine, and just as rough around the edges. The wilderness tended to do that to a person, after a while—it was the wind and lightning, the snow, and the snakes. They hardened your skin, ¬made it into armor, and they pushed your voice deep down into your chest. Still, the sweet sound of the girl’s explanations pulled at something in Piper’s heart like a song she could still hum but couldn’t remember the words to, and her stiff shoulders relaxed as she received gratitude.

“Don’t mention it,” she said. “I would have killed it anyway, even if it wasn’t after you.” It had become a habit, killing snakes, a compulsion of sorts. At first it had been revenge, but now the satisfaction was little more than a dull ache, a bad memory. She never worried about upsetting the balance of nature, removing the top predators. Piper was a part of the ecosystem now too, and she had the axe, so she got to decide whether or not the snakes were allowed to slither beneath the dead leaves at her feet. They weren’t.

With the deed done, Piper stepped over to the berry bush and picked a handful of the few that were left, shoving them in her mouth. The sweetness exploded over her tongue until the corners of her mouth tingled almost to the point of a headache. How long had it been since she’d had fruit? Her last meal had been squirrel, and it was bland and dry. If only she’d had these berries then; she would have boiled them over the fire into a syrup or a jelly, and slathered it on the meat. Rhonan used to do things like that; she’d always thought he could make a feast out of nothing.

Piper stood facing the girl awkwardly, chewing on some berries and watching the dead snake move slowly to a halt. She needed to move on; she didn’t like to be seen, let alone make friends. But the girl was without a weapon, apparently wasn’t good with one in the first place, and obviously couldn’t handle herself all alone like this. To leave her out here could potentially be murder, and Piper already had blood on her hands. Literally, from the snake.

“I’ll walk you back to your camp. Don’t want you to get eaten.” Piper wiped her hand on her dirty blue jeans and stepped towards the girl, perhaps a little too suddenly. She sighed. “Lead the way,” she said impatiently, waiting for directions.

As they walked, Piper made an effort at small talk, although she was out of practice. “So, it’s just you and your parents out here? In this camp?” It was more than just banter, though--she needed some intel on where they would be going. She couldn’t afford to be seen by anyone who might recognize her; the less people, the better.